bird of passage
/ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/
"bird-of-passage" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bird of passage” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A migratory bird, especially a passage migrant (“a bird that stops somewhere for a short time during a seasonal migration”).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bird of passage |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bird of passage” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for bird of passage is 15 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for bird of passage in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably a calque of Middle French oiseau de passage: oiseau (“bird”), passage (“part of a journey or route, passage”). The correct English form is bird of passage, spelled B-I-R-D- -O-F- -P-A-S-S-A-G-E.
Definition
- 1A migratory bird, especially a passage migrant (“a bird that stops somewhere for a short time during a seasonal migration”).
- 2Someone passing through a place and only staying for a short time; an itinerant.
Etymology
Probably a calque of Middle French oiseau de passage: oiseau (“bird”), passage (“part of a journey or route, passage”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “bird of passage”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-I-R-D- -O-F- -P-A-S-S-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.